Brits response to the refugee crisis puts government to shame

LONDON — Despite increasing pressure from the public, politicians and the media — including even The Sun making a major shift in its editorial stance — the British government has not changed its response to the migrant and refugee crisis across Europe.

As recently as Thursday, with migrant death tolls continuing to grow and heartbreaking photos hammering home the human cost of the situation, David Cameron still insisted that taking more refugees was "not the answer."

Across the UK, grassroots campaigns have been sprouting up, with fundraising pages, petitions and calls to action proliferating and concrete plans being put in place.

Food, money and clothes have been making their way to Calais and beyond as more and more people have been spurred into action by the government's lacklustre response.

Image: Rex Features via AP Images

Here are some of the ways Britons have been doing their bit — and how you can join them.

Fundraising

There are dozens of fundraising pages on Just Giving and other sites, allowing people to donate anything they can, and they seem to be growing daily. Most are vastly exceeding their targets. Just Giving told Mashable that 100 crowdfunding pages relating to the refugee crisis have been set up since August.

CalAid, for example, aimed to raise £1,000 for food, clothing and shelter, and has amassed £81,000 from 3,200 pledges. The team have also raised £18,000 on Kickstarter to fund a documentary aiming to counter the mainstream media's negative portrayal of migrants and refugees. Glasgow Solidarity with Calais Migrants, meanwhile, asked for £500 and has hit nearly £5,000.

Mashablepublished a list Thursday of some of the organisations and agencies working on the ground that also need financial help.

As well as money, people are donating food, clothing and other personal items. Some things are needed more than others, and the Help Calais campaign, organised by Dawn O'Porter, has set up an Amazon wishlist full of things that are required at the camp.

Facebook groups

There are literally hundreds of groups across the UK and Ireland, rallying people to donate food, clothes, money and their time.

Calais: People to People Solidarity is a good starting point; they've created a Google Doc with some 157 groups, from Swindon to St Ives, the Isle of Wight to Dublin, specifying what they're doing, what they need, and how to get involved.

Events

A solidarity demonstration is planned for central London on Sept. 12, ahead of Home Secretary Theresa May's meeting with EU leaders on the crisis. It starts at noon and 24,000 have already said they're going — find out more on the Facebook page.

Petitions

Several petitions have been set up calling for the British government to do more. Among them:

Accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants in the UK, which has just surpassed the 100,000 signatures needed to be considered for a debate by parliament, calls on the country to accept more refugees. "We can't allow refugees who have risked their lives to escape horrendous conflict and violence to be left living in dire, unsafe and inhumane conditions in Europe," it says. "We must help."

Heading abroad

Last weekend, hundreds of Londoners cycled 95 miles to donate bicycles to residents of the Jungle camp, who have to walk seven kilometres per day to access support services.

"Most cyclists can relate to the sense of freedom, mobility and self-sustainability afforded by the bicycle," organisers said. "For people living in the camps, bicycles are an invaluable asset, improving quality of life by increasing access to basic essentials like the local shop and support and advice services, currently over an hour’s walk away."

British cyclists arrive to Calais from London over the weekend.

Image: Rex Features/Associated Press

However, there are some 3,000 people at the camp, and the single bike workshop is struggling to cope. They still need many more bikes and parts for repairs.

There are several more trips planned for the coming months, leaving from east Kent, Somerset and York.

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